Izzygal

Hello everyone! I start Micro on January 12th - very nervous! What textbook are you guys using? I need to get ours still - it's: Tortora Microbiology and the Leboffe Lab Manual. Good luck! Study hard! Izzy

Hi there! I was born and raised in San Diego and have lived there for the last 28 years - I just recently moved up to the bay area and miss it very much! Please send me a PM to discuss anything I can fill you in on about San Diego. It's my favorite place in the world! :) Best wishes, Izzy

This sounds like everything I'm constantly thinking about! The issue of when to have a family, how that would work while I was in med school... it's all so much to think about, but honestly, I think I would just be overall much happier as a NP or PA. I just wonder of those two, which I would like more... decisions, decisions! Izzy

Great question... I am in the same boat with the same questions.... let's bump this up for more responses! :) Izzy

Thanks again Buttons. I'm a perspective nursing student... I will start pre-reqs in January. :) Obviously I have a lot to learn! What specialty do you work in? :) Izzy

Thanks you guys. I ended up at the ER this morning because even after the Benadryl, things continued to get worse. They gave me a shot of benadryl and a shot of adrenaline, as well as a Rx for steroids. I still have the rash that's red and has these fine little bumps - I'm just really hoping it goes away soon! I'm to continue to take 50 mg of Benadryl 4x/day, so I'll be knocked out all of today. Anyway, thanks again to both of you for your help. :) Izzy

Ok, I called the on-call doctor and got advice - thanks for the kick in the butt - I needed it. I'm off to buy Benadryl. I don't know why rashes freak me out so badly, my boyfriend thinks I'm being silly. Anyway, thanks again... I really appreciate it.

Ok thanks - I'll just watch it and see how it goes. So strange that it surfaced 8 hours after taking the medicine. I really appreciate your help.

Thanks Buttons! I have a Benadryl Allergy on hand (looks like it treats sinus problems and such) - will that be ok?

Hey everyone... I had a wisdom tooth removed and am still having problems so finally I took a Tylenol with Codeine earlier (8 hours ago!) and just noticed that I have an itchy rash on my neck, jaw, chest and upper back. Do you feel there is any real cause for concern here, like going to an ER? Obviously I'm not going to take any more of them, but do you think that's enough? Thanks everyone! Izzy

Hi katyosu2006 - I hope I do too! I'm just hoping that I find these courses so darn interesting that I can't help but get an A. :chuckle Thanks! Izzy

Thanks so much for the advice Malia! Depending on how much I get figured out before I start prereqs next semester, I may just take 1 hard science and then something easier, if I figure out I have the time. I really need A's on my prereqs, so I can't afford to overload myself. What school are you looking to apply at? It's funny what a journey this is -- just getting into school! I'm always laughing at myself for putting so much time into the process of figuring it all out, because then the real tough work is still ahead! Thanks for your post and for reading my ramblings! Izzy

Do you think it's too much to take A&P I and Micro in a single semester, given that I also work? I have lots of prereqs to do, but need to focus on the ones that all schools I'm applying to require, which of course is A&PI, A&PII and Micro....

So I had a wisdom tooth removed about 2 hours ago, and it started making me think about CRNA, not because I had a general, but well, I don't know, it just did. I think becoming a CRNA is just the ultimate challange -- not only getting through school, but also the responsibility of the job and the satisfaction of doing it well... ok, that's all for now, need more pain meds. :) Izzy

Thanks for your reply -- I hear that a lot about not jumping into something too quickly, especially with getting a FNP. Maybe just one more reason to look more into the Accelerated BSN option! Thanks again! Izzy

I spend so much time reading on this forum, I thought I would start a topic where I just sort of spill my thoughts as they occur to me. I need some way to get all these swirling thoughts out of my brain! :) Feel free to read my ramblings or not, and of course if you have any advice, suggestions, etc. to anything that I post, I would love to hear it... So everyday I get on this forum, as I've done for a year and half now, and read about the experiences of RN's, NP's, CRNA's, etc. I started becoming interested in nursing when my doctor's office had three absolutely wonderful female NP's working there, and I found myself seeing them more often than him (although he is an absolutely wonderful doctor and person). So I really started becoming interested in the role of the NP. I started thinking about the road to becoming a NP. One of my NP's told me about the Direct-Entry MSN programs, and in fact, all three of them taught at one, including one of my NP's helping to start a program (she now teaches at Purdue). So I was fascinated. I attended a couple open-houses at USD in San Diego, and was immediately discouraged by how competitive these programs are (especially given that USD has SD's only Direct Entry (MEPN) program). I have a cum. GPA I then met a friend of a friend who is a NP on a Cardiology floor (or was at the time) and she let me shadow her for a morning. I was hooked. That was it... that was what I wanted to do. Again though, I was very discouraged by the stats of those students gaining acceptance, in comparison to my own. I hear now that this 'friend of a friend' went to work for a new hospital, doing a job that is normally only reserved for MD's. So now I live up in the bay area, which has presented me a couple more options, however, they all still seem wildly out of reach. During my whining one day, a friend mentioned that I look into PA programs (still out of reach, but provides more options!). So I started looking into that route as well to compare the differences. I know that one is trained under the medical model and one under the nursing, but to be honest with you, I can't see any differences further than that (especially in the state of CA) - so feel free to enlighten me on that one. The issue I run into with PA school is that I don't have a drop of paid healthcare experience. So, I hit a roadblock again, as I am currently unable to quit my very well-paying job to go back to school to become a MA or such. Then I became crazy enough to start looking into medical school... I dropped that search very quickly - I want a family in the near future, and that just wouldn't easily work. Of course not to mention that I don't have the GPA for med school... and well, is that really where I would want to be anyway? *Sigh* - so I think I know that I would love being a NP - but how does anyone really know? I think that any role where I am able to see and help patients, make clinical decisions on my own... that I would love the challenge of. So I feel really good about that, so now it comes down to getting into school. I haven't done any of my science prereqs, so I still have the ability to make A's in those and show ad coms that I have what it takes to make it through school and that my undergrad GPA is not a reflection of my abilities or intelligence. I also need to take the GRE still, so I have yet another opportunity to hopefully shine. Hopefully this will be enough. I'm also considering doing an EMT program, taking medical term, medical spanish, etc., just to show how serious I am. I can't start this program until my BF graduates anyway, so I'm looking at Fall 2007. So this brings me to my next concern - where to apply. We're living up in the bay area - my boyfriend is attending school for his MBA, so when he graduates, he will focus accepting jobs in cities that we not only want to live in, but also where I can hopefully get into school. I want to live relatively close to where school is, since I know I'll be spending so much time there, so that eliminates some farther locations that are still good schools. Here's the list of schools I am focusing on based on location (any comments?): Samuel Merritt - Bay area USD - San Diego Georgetown - DC There are also a slew of programs in DC that offer Accelerated BSN's - but how quickly could I become an NP after graduating from said program? I also must admit that I have a curiosity about becoming a CRNA - I would love the opportunity to shadow one. So in that case, an Accelerated BSN would be a great option. I'm worried about prereqs - so many schools are asking for such different things -- do I just end up taking them all? For example, Georgetown wants ethics among other things... no other school I'm looking at asks for this, so it seems like such a waste. Alas, I digress. Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day - I feel good to have finally poured them out of my brain, and thanks for listening (or not!). I may just have a bunch of other stuff to add later... we shall see! Have a very happy Sunday! Izzy

Excellent questions Tamm! I'm glad to see so such positive responses! :)

So I just wanted to share that I have orientation tonight to volunteer at a local clinic... I'm really excited and I'm sure this will be great experience for me! Happy Monday! Izzy

That sounds like a great program, unfortunately as a non-nurse, they just don't have online programs for people like me. Great to post out there to other nurses though, who may not know about this program yet! :-) Izzy

What a great idea to simply talk with the admission officer! Once I know where I would like to go, I will do this for sure. Please let me know how that goes for you and how you feel about it. Even being in the preparation stages is very exciting for me. Since I am looking at Direct-Entry programs, as I am a non-nurse with a bachelor's degree, I have to be prepared for the fact that it's very competitive! Good luck to you - keep me posted! :) Izzy

Hi Curlyfries! Thanks for posting! I'm struggling with a not so stellar undergrad cummulative GPA myself - 2.85 I think, so I will have an equally difficult struggle, as most schools I'm looking at ask for at least 3.0. I need to try to compensate somewhere, such as getting A's in my prereqs, obtaining solid volunteer experience, and maybe even working to become a Medical Assistant or EMT. We shall see! Izzy

Thanks everyone for posting so far! I can't wait to get going with all my prereqs, volunteering, etc. :) Izzy

Thank you very much Daytonite! I checked out their website, but it doesn't offer it there. The publication is $30, so I think I'll have to ask around to see if anyone has a copy! Thank you! What I'm really interested in is people's individual experiences anyway - I love to hear what people think and feel and what they have learned through their own experience of applying, being accepted... you guys most understand the process and can give the rest of us the real scoop. Thanks again! Izzy

Thanks for getting the post going guys... I'm hoping to build up this list. :) I have lots of work to do! Izzy

Here is the official listing from the AACN: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/pdf/APLIST.PDF These are the schools listed for Texas, which offer an accelerated Bachelor's and/or Master's degree program: Houston Baptist Texas Christian University Texas Women's University University of Texas - Austin University of Texas Health Science Center - Houston University of Texas Medical Branch Take care! :) Izzy